What keyboard/headset to get?

Hey guys I'm looking for a mechanical keyboard and a nice headset to buy.

Keyboard: I was looking at the Razer blackwidow ultimate 2013 (Green) but some of my guildies tell me Razer isn't a great company and something about Cherry blue/red/brown switches... I didn't understand too much. I've played on a normal Razer Blackwidow ultimate (blue) and the keys were super loud. Any other good suggestions?

Headset: I currently have a Steelseries Siberia V2 but want to upgrade to Astro gaming A50 or A40. I can't make up my mind on which I want. There seems to be a few negative reviews for the A50 so I'm not really sure. Again, any other suggestions?

Stay away from Razer imo, every single product I've purchased from them has had problems and I've needed to return them only to get refurbished items back. You pay a premium for a low quality piece of hardware and for the brand name ($2800 for a piece of shit that has a 555? LOL)

I have a logitech g510 keyboard and it's pretty nice, but a little on the over kill side in terms of features. I might pick up a logitech k120 to hook up to my laptop so I don't have to game with hot hands. It's simple, practical, and cheap (I think $35 or less). Hope that helps

Since you're looking into a black widow keyboard I'm assuming you're already interested in a keyboard with mechanical switches. Let me start by saying this comes down to what you feel is comfortable. There's Cherry MX blue & red (there's brown too but don't use that for gaming).

Personally, I went with the QPAD MK series and choose the MK-85 which uses red switches (again, it's all about what YOU feel "feels" best).

Imo a VERY nice and cheap headset is the Microsoft LifeChat LX-3000.
Its quiet cheap and amazing.
If you listen to music, this thing has amazing bass performance and just sits on your head very light weight.
Its a great deal.
Probs 19 pound.

*Edit, Not all razer gear is shit. Got my naga almost 3 years now, works fine.

I love the naga. But that's about it. I wanted a mechanical keyboard, so I bought the black widow ultimate. A year into owning it, certain buttons don't work properly, and some create duplicates, and it's annoying. I think Razer is overrated.

"1 in 4 Americans are skeptical on climate change...who gives a shit? That doesn't matter. You don't need other people's opinions on a fact. You may as well have a poll asking: Which number is bigger? 5 or 15? Do Owls exist? Are there hats?"

I recently decided on getting a Zalman ZM-Mic1 clip-on mic and a pair of Audio Technica ATH-M30 headphones in lieu of a new headset. I figured it was worth getting better quality in both pieces for a lower price than settling for lower quality, more expensive parts just to have them together. You should definitely take that option into consideration.

I will chime in on the A40s; they're the most comfortable headsets I've ever worn. If you're a big audiophile, there are better (A40's are open-back, they let sound in from outside), but they're hands-down the most comfortable headset I've owned. My brother has A50's and likes them more than the A40's

Here are my 2 cents:
As far as mechanical Keyboards go, I'm fairly new to them but I got myself a Zowie Celeritas. It has Cherry MX Brown switches, they don't click like the blues. And since you already have a mechanical Keyboard you should be familiar with the fact that by design the button presses are more notable. So all in all I find the Celeritas to an exceptional piece of hardware, and can only recommend it.
However the print for the letters on the keys is fading fast, WASD are of a discerningly different color then the rest after just 3months. And the keys are not backlit, which actually makes them a lot harder to read than one realises.

For headset I've been using Sennheiser PC 350, which has served me great the past 3 years. The mic is starting to break a bit, but is still working and the wire protecter has broke off. But for at ≈$150 I don't think it's bad. The sound quality is also excellent.

Cherry Brown are perfectly fine for gaming. They are like blues, but without the click. Reds/blacks are the normal choices for gaming otherwise.

I was just trying blues, browns, reds and blacks side by side the other day, and I'd say browns are reds but with a slight tactile bump. Blues are significantly different feeling than browns, not just missing the sound.

The best choice is browns for a first mechanical, unless you've gone and tested them all and know exactly what you want.